The Celebrity Archaeology Podcast

PODCAST EPISODE 12 - Well, Hello, Dolly!

Well, Hello Dolly! This episode photo of
bootylicious Dolly Parton was taken in 1978. The five foot tall
singer, songwriter and actress with the hourglass figure and big
bouffant hair has been churning out hits for decades. "I like the
big hair and the gaudy clothes. I’ve never thought of myself as
being a sex symbol and I don’t want to have to be a beautiful
woman, like Raquel Welch. 'I want people to know it’s me when they
see me coming and when they see me leavin'... 'so I figured I might
as well look even more extreme,'" she said in an
interview." The New Yorker described her voice as "baby-high
soprano." It can be heard on such hits as "Jolene" and "Here You
Come Again," which earned Dolly her first Grammy Award. In 1983,
she wrote and recorded "I Will Always Love You" about her
professional split with country legend Porter Wagoner. They were a
successful vocal duo who recorded such songs as "The Last Thing On
My Mind," and "Please, Don't Stop Loving Me." In 1992, Dolly's "I
Will Always Love You" would be recorded again but by Whitney
Houston for the soundtrack "The Bodyguard." It would turn out to be
one of the best-selling singles of all time." When asked what she
did with all of the profit from that song she said she just went
out and bought more wigs! Dolly has appeared on the screen in a
list of duds but also had some great success with "Steel
Magnolias," and "9 to 5" which she (again) wrote and recorded the
theme song. Dolly was born into poverty on January19, 1946 in
Sevierville, Tennessee. Her childhood home in the
Great Smokey Mountains was a log cabin with no running water or
electricity. She was one of 12 children born to her tobacco farmer
father and her mother who was a housewife. She was also the first
in her family to graduate from high school. At age seven, Dolly
started strumming on a homemade guitar and at age 10, she began
performing in local TV shows and radio in Knoxville. To this day,
she says her most favorite song is "A Coat of Many Colors," which
she wrote and recorded in 1971. The song tells how her mother
stitched a colorful coat for her out of rags. "...nothing is as
precious as my mama's memory and my coat of many colors that she
made for me." In the beginning of her career, Dolly began churning
out songs for other country artists such as Hank Williams, Jr. and
Kitty Wells. She has composed over 3,000 songs to date and her
worth is over $600 million. This is thanks to her early decision to
publish her own music, concerts and royalties. She also has
"Dollywood Theme Park" inPigeon Forge, Tennessee which
attracts over 2.1 million visitors a year. Dolly has been married
to the "mysterious" Carl Deansince 1966. They met at a
Nashville laundromat called"The Wishy Washy." "He's very
private and I've always respected that for him and about him," she
said. However, Dolly shocked her fans when she said she is in an
open marriage. She revealed in an interview that she contemplated
suicide over a failed love affair. She later took a step back and
said there were no sexual relations in her other affairs. There
have been rumors for years that Dolly was in a relationship with
her assistant and childhood friend Judy Ogle which she has
vehemently denied. Dolly is a well-known philanthropist who has
donated more than 10 million books annually to improve child
literacy through her Dollywood Foundation. Hear the podcast: